Japanese-based media artist and video director AUJIK has released a new video 'Spatial Bodies', depicting the urban landscape and architectural bodies as an autonomous living and self replicating organism. Domesticated and cultivated only by its own nature. The vast concrete vegetation, oscillating between order and chaos. 

Developed in collaboration with Daisuke Tanabe, the video takes place in Osaka, Japan and constitutes an imagery of organic-mechanical hybrids, which are harmonised with existing nature, landscape and urban fabric. AUJIK's urban imageries present a new conflict in the cities by distorting buildings and by introducing urban landscapes and architectural objects as moving creatures through technology. 

These virtual appearances suggest decades-old lineage through theoretical schematics outlining their transgressive mission, citing faux reports arguing the life of inanimate matter and modern forms of animism from fictional anthropologists and philosophers.

'Spatial Bodies' melts the boundaries between the 'refined' and the 'primitive' by twisting, rotating, wrapping and distorting the building in a place where the new surreal visions of urbanity are created. Through these animistic imageries, the city offers new ideologies reminiscent of Shintoism-like a breathing city depicted in these images- Because of this separation between 'refined' and 'primitive', the conflict becomes a root of all chaos in the world, and in order to reach a sublime state, AUJIK generates rituals to harmonize the organic and synthetic realms.

Refined nature consists of evolved technology such as robotics, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, DNA manipulations, and body enhancements. The Primitive includes fauna, flora, and the Earth itself with its precious stones, minerals, and metals. 

The pulsating foliage and advanced interfaces that emerge in the biosphere serve as sacred artifacts, visions of a futurist environment. Through crossbreeds of biotic and technological systems, AUJIK’s animism for the Digital Age presents new possibilities for evolution and strives for Post-Human nirvana.

AUJIK’s multi-media works have been showcased in galleries, museums, and festivals worldwide including the Prix Ars Electronica, OneDotZero London BFI 2011 & 2013, SIGGRAPH Asia, CMoDA Beijing, Biwako Biennale 2012 & 2014, and Japan Media Arts Festival.

Since mid 2000’s, the online presence of mysterious nature/tech cult AUJIK quietly spread across video platforms featuring proposed active members and fabricated histories.

“Technology can help nature understand itself,” affirm AUJIK narrators, offering new ideologies reminiscent of Shintoism.

New urban imageries melted with nature and buildings by AUJIK

For AUJIK, nature is divided into Refined and Primitive categories.

Buildings, landscapes are breathing through amorph forms

The pulsating foliage and advanced interfaces that emerge in the biosphere serve as sacred artifacts, visions of a futurist environment.

Through crossbreeds of biotic and technological systems, AUJIK’s animism for the Digital Age presents new possibilities for evolution and strives for Post-Human nirvana.

All images via 'Spatial Bodies', AUJIK

> via AUJIK